Pray:
Lord, You are the song of my life. You give me purpose and joy, and I delight in Your ways.
Read:
Jeremiah 38:1-28
Reflect:
What do you do when God's direction doesn't seem to make sense?
The Babylonians came, saw, and conquered Jerusalem, subsequently placing Zedekiah in charge to look after the place in their absence. Zedekiah had banked on an unholy alliance with the Egyptians to break free from Babylonian rule, but Pharaoh had deserted him (37:6-8) and the Babylonians were back to reassert their control. Zedekiah's cowardice before his officials--"The king can do nothing to oppose you" (5)--stands in eternal contrast to Jeremiah's courage to preach God's word fearlessly. The penetrating truth of Jeremiah's words was steadily dissolving the false foundations on which the resolve of Zedekiah's army was built (1-4). Zedekiah then decided to rescue the man (10-13) he had previously condemned. This weak and compromised king is a picture of what happens when we rely on control and manipulation to master our circumstances rather than trusting in God.
We probably all have days when we feel that we act more like Zedekiah than Jeremiah. But God knows our weaknesses, and the same Holy Spirit who empowered Jeremiah is with you today.
Apply:
Many things led Zedekiah to minimize his own discomfort. Pay the cost up front and be a person of integrity.
Pray:
Jesus, thank You that You do not change. There is no shadow in You. I want to be one in whom You and others can rely.
